The embodiments described in the disclosure relate to the field of accessory assemblies and specifically, to an accessory assembly designed to couple a portable unit to an animal band.
Various accessories connected to animal collars are currently known in the art. For example, many owners supply pets with identification tags to aid retrieval in the event an animal is lost or strays. Typically, such tags are attached to collars via key ring or split ring design wherein a circular hole within the tag is connected to a ring attached to the collar via the split ring. Alternative designs include “thread-through” designs wherein an attachment contains two slit-shaped receptacles on either end of the attachment allowing a collar to be “thread through” the attachment. Alternative designs also include “clasp” designs wherein a clasp is design to clip onto a collar. Often, these clips are formed as part of the attachment itself.
The current state of the art suffers from numerous deficiencies. First, split ring designs are incapable of supporting heavier loads without injury to pets. Thus, are impractical for attachments exceeding a trivial weight. For example, the disclosure describes embodiments that may be used with GPS trackers for pets, which cannot be utilized with split ring designs due to weight restrictions. Additionally, thread-through or clasps designs are impractical for advanced attachments as such designs either require the replacement of an existing collar and are required to be replaced with each device, thus resulting in significant waste. Further, many designs additionally lack a locking mechanism designed to lock an attachment in place.